'Seduction of the Innocent'

As you may or may not be aware, in the 1950's there was a man named Fredric Wertham. This psychiatrist levied the very public complaint that the comic book industry was essentially corrupting the minds and actions of the children of the time. His complaint garnered so much attention and such a following that the US senate formed a "subcommittee To Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in the United States". These 'trials' eventually brought about the unfortunate demise of EC Comics and left a, until recently, long standing mark on the comics industry. That mark, eventually known as the Comics Code Authority, became a subject of great debate and resistance among the writers, artists and publishers of comics from that moment on.

It is because of the attention Fredric Werthams ideas that a series such as 'Green Lantern/Green Arrow' by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams gained such notoriety. It will come as no surprise to most of you that I ADORE the aforementioned series and seek to soak up any and all information about and surrounding it. That includes a copy of Fredric Werthams book, 'Seduction of the Innocent' that contains every finding and conclusion he claimed to have reached. I've ALWAYS wanted my own hard copy version of this book.

I'm happy to report that, if it's still available at the online resource I've found it at, my first purchase on my new debit card (funded by my new job) will be a copy of 'Seduction of the Innocent'. Today we may find Werthams theories ludicrous, but I plan to go into his book with an open mind and a thirst for understanding the history of the industry and time period.

I say all this for two reasons:

1) To say that this book will run me $45 and see if any of you have or are offering a GOOD condition of this book for less

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2) To encourage you to learn as much as you can about this industry we all love. There is ALOT of history here and I'm CONSTANTLY reminded of it each time we lose a beloved creator.

So sound off however you'd like on this one. Talk about the history of the industry that YOU'VE learned. Talk about Fredric Wertham. Talk about the Senate hearings. Talk about the creators we've lost. Whatever. I promise I'll enjoy every post.